U.S. patent number 6,695,557 [Application Number 10/231,211] was granted by the patent office on 2004-02-24 for wheel lug nut security seal.
Invention is credited to John Hove, Jim Nelson.
United States Patent |
6,695,557 |
Hove , et al. |
February 24, 2004 |
Wheel lug nut security seal
Abstract
A security seal assembly is designed to provide detection of
tampering with or the removal of a wheel lug nut, particularly on a
truck tire. The Security Seal is designed as an indicative seal
rather than theft seal. When the seal is fitted onto the wheel lug
nut, it prohibits access to the nut unless the cover is broken.
Inventors: |
Hove; John (Jacksonville,
FL), Nelson; Jim (St. Augustine, FL) |
Family
ID: |
26924906 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/231,211 |
Filed: |
August 30, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
411/429;
292/307B; 411/377; 411/5; 411/910 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16B
37/14 (20130101); F16B 39/282 (20130101); F16B
41/005 (20130101); Y10S 411/91 (20130101); Y10T
292/509 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
F16B
37/14 (20060101); F16B 39/282 (20060101); F16B
41/00 (20060101); F16B 37/00 (20060101); F16B
39/00 (20060101); F16B 041/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;411/2,3,5,910,429,431,432,372.5,372.6,373,7,120,240,234,235,374,377
;70/229 ;292/37A,37B,327 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Saether; Flemming
Assistant Examiner: Schiffman; Jori
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Browdy and Neimark, P.L.L.C.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Appln. No. 60/316,937, filed Sep. 5, 2001.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An indicative seal assembly adapted to be engaged over a nut
fastened on a wheel stud of a vehicle, the seal assembly
comprising: a nut cover shaped for corresponding engagement over
the nut when the wheel stud is extended through a hole in the nut
cover, the nut cover having first locking teeth; a cap adapted to
be engaged over the nut cover when the nut cover is engaged over
the nut, the cap having an outer wall and a first tubular wall
within the outer wall, the first tubular wall having a first ledge
thereon; and a stud nut adapted to be engaged to the wheel stud and
to the nut cover and cap when engaged to each other over the nut;
the stud nut having a second tubular wall which has second locking
teeth corresponding to the first locking teeth and a second ledge
above the second locking teeth; wherein the first and second
locking teeth and the first and second ledge are in engagement
within the outer wall of the cap when the stud nut is fully
threaded on to the wheel stud.
2. The indicative seal according to claim 1, wherein the first
ledge extends inward from the first tubular wall and the second
ledge extends outward from the second tubular wall.
3. The indicative seal according to claim 1, wherein the first
locking teeth project up from a top wall of the nut cover and the
second locking teeth project down from a free end of the second
tubular wall.
4. The indicative seal according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of
the first tubular wall is greater than that of the second tubular
wall creating a space between the first and second tubular wall
when the cap and the stud nut are engaged together, the first and
second ledge extending into the space.
5. An indicative seal according to claim 1, wherein the nut cover,
the cap and the stud nut are all made from plastic.
6. An indicative seal according to claim 1, wherein the outer wall
of the cap is conical and transparent.
7. An indicative seal according to claim 1, wherein the outer wall
of the cap extends to a bottom of the nut when the nut cover, the
cap and stud nut are fully engaged on the wheel stud.
8. An indicative seal according to claim 1, wherein the stud nut
has a fitting wing on a top wall thereof for facilitating threading
of the stud nut onto the wheel stud.
9. An indicative seal according to claim 8, wherein the fitting
wing is scored at a joint between the fitting wing and the top wall
of the stud nut so as to facilitate breaking the fitting wing off
the top wall after the stud nut has been fully threaded on to the
wheel stud.
10. An indicative seal according to claim 9, wherein the top wall
of the stud nut is coplanar with a top wall of the cap after the
fitting wing has been broken off.
11. An indicative seal according to claim 10, wherein a diameter of
the top wall of the stud nut is substantially equal to an inner
diameter of the second tubular wall.
12. An indicative seal according to claim 1, wherein the cap can be
freely turned around the axis of the wheel stud when engaged
between the stud nut and the nut cover fully engaged on the wheel
stud.
13. An indicative seal according to claim 1, wherein the first
tubular wall has internal threads corresponding to threads on the
wheel stud.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a security seal assembly
designed to provide detection of tampering with or the removal of a
wheel lug nut, particularly on a truck tire. The security seal is
designed as an indicative seal rather than theft seal. When the
seal is fitted onto the wheel lug nut, it prohibits access to the
nut unless the cover is broken.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,324,516 and 4,645,397 are inventions with the same
purpose but of different design. Both these designs can be removed
undamaged and re-fitted without detection if certain conditions
apply when the seal is originally fitted.
There are several security seals for vehicle wheels, particularly
trucks, on the market and the security seal has been in use for
more than 15 years. Security seals for wheel lug nuts are basically
either a lock seal or an indicative seal. The lock seal is design
to prevent removing the lug nut unless some special tool is used.
This seal can often be reused and is therefore expensive to
manufacture. The indicative seal is however inexpensive and
designed to be a one time use only, once it is fitted it cannot be
removed unless it is broken. The idea is that a broken or missing
indicative seal is easy to detect by a quick visual inspection and
this will then initiate an investigation by the equipment owner of
unauthorized removal and replacement of a wheel or tire from a
vehicle while in the care of a third party, domestically or
abroad.
Prior art designs of the indicative seal have however not proven to
be effective. Under some circumstances such as a short lug nut,
they can be removed intact and refitted without detection when
inspected. Some designs have also proven to be difficult to fit
properly, resulting in fitted seals that can be removed without
detection.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the invention is directed to providing an
indicative seal that eliminates the problems of the prior art
indicative seal devices but remains simple and economical to
manufacture and use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of the indicative seal according to
the invention and the conventional wheel stud and nut to which the
seal will engage.
FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the indicative seal of FIG. 1 in
combination with the wheel stud and nut.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the indicative seal of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a cross-section along section line 4--4 of FIG. 2
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) OF THE
INVENTION
As depicted in FIGS. 1-4, the present invention is an indicative
seal assembly 1 consisting of three plastic parts: 1) a nut cover
2, 2) a cap 4, and 3) a stud nut 6.
The nut cover 2 has a hole 8 through which a conventional wheel
stud 10 can be inserted and is shaped for corresponding engagement
over a nut 12 on the wheel stud 10. Locking teeth 14 are formed to
project up from the circumference of hole 8 of the nut cover 2.
The cap 4, which is to be engaged over the nut cover 2, has an
outer wall 15 which can be conical and an inner tubular wall 16
extending down within the outer wall 15 from the circumference of a
hole 17 in the top wall 19 of the cap 4. A circular ledge 18 at the
bottom end of the inner tubular wall 16 projects in from the inner
circumference of the tubular wall 16.
The stud nut 6 has a tubular wall 20 extending down from a top wall
22 and a circular ledge 24 near the bottom end of the tubular body
20 that projects out from the outer circumference of the tubular
body 20. Locking teeth 26 corresponding to locking teeth 14 of nut
cover 2 are formed below ledge 24. The inside threads 29 on tubular
body 20 allow the stud nut 6 to be threaded onto the threads 30 of
the wheel stud 10 internally of the cap 4 so as to hold down the
cap 4 against nut cover 2 when ledge 24 of the stud nut 6 engages
ledge 18 of the cap 4. When the stud nut 6 is fully threaded onto
the wheel stud 10, as shown in FIG. 4, by rotating the fitting wing
28, the locking teeth 26 of the stud nut 6 are also engaged with
the locking teeth 14 on the nut cover 2.
When the stud nut 6 cannot be tighten any further on the wheel stud
10, additional twisting torque breaks the fitting wing 28 off at
the scored or indented line 32 at the bottom of the fitting
wing.
With the fitting wing 28 gone, the force required to back out the
stud nut 6 would either shear the locking teeth 14, 26 on the nut
cover 2 and stud nut 6 or break the nut cover 2. Since the cap 4
covers the stud nut 6 and the nut cover 2, it is not possible to
grip the stud nut 6 with fingers or tools to back it out unless the
cap 4 is broken. The cap 4 also freely turns between the stud nut 6
and nut cover 2, making it impossible to turn the stud nut 6 by
squeezing and turning the cap 4. The design only requires a short
thread on the wheel stud 10 above nut 12 and once the operator is
able to twist the stud nut 6 until the fitting wing 28 breaks off,
it is a certain and easy indication that the seal is fitted
correctly and securely. The outer wall 15 of the cap 4 can be made
to be transparent so that a user can attach stickers with seal
numbers readable when the security seal assembly is fitted to the
wheel stud, thereby alerting the user to any seal with different
numbering that might be substituted.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully
reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by
applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various
applications such specific embodiments without departing from the
generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptions and modifications
should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and
range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be
understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is
for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
* * * * *